Axial flow compressor



Oct. 14, 1952 R. ANxloNNAz ETAL AXIAL mow COMPRESSOR 2 SHEETS- SHEET 1 Filed Oct. 14, 1947 )if W15/615C Fig/1 a Figg Oct. 14, 1952 R. ANxloNNAz ErAL AXIAI.. FLOW COMPRESSOR 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2 Filed Oct. 14, 1947 1 wazzww, M, www@ Patented Oct. i4, 1952 AXIAL FLOW COMPRESSOR Ren Anxionnaz andv Roger J. Imbert, Paris,

France, assignors, by direct and mesne assignments, to Societe Rateau (Societe Anonyme), Paris, France, a company of France Application October 14, 1947, Serial No. 779,780

1 In France November 8, 1946 It is a well known fact that the relative velocity of an airscrew blade with reference tol air is always higherthan the speed of the progression of the aircraft, said relative velocity 'w being equal to \/Vo2|-u2, Vo being the speed lof progression of the aircraft and u. the peripherie velocity of the airscrew.l

Consequently the peripheral velocity of the air screw with reference tov air -reachesthe velocity of sound before the aircraft has reached such a speed.

It is also known that in order to' remove this ,drawback lit is possible to slow down the ve.- .locity of air inside a diffusor locatedbefore the airscrew in the case of an airscrew arranged in-` side a tunnel-shaped casing o-r before the first movable blades of the air compressor in the case of a jet engine, which, as known,` is also generally arranged in a tunnel-like casing extending .in thev fore-and-aft direction of the propelled aircraft and provided with a front aperturev for the incoming air and with a rearwardly eXpanlsion nozzle.

the airstream righting blades following the airscrew or compressor wheel and also during the passage of the airthrough the airscrew or compressor wheel itself.

Our invention has for its object improvements applicable to single or multiple airscrews arranged in a tunnel casing and to jet engines provided with axial flow compressors for high speed aircrafts. Said improvements allow avoiding or at least considerably reducing said losses while ensuring relative velocities of air that are lower than sound velocity. 4.

The improvements disclosed produce their maximum efficiency when associated although they may also be applied separately.

The following description together with accompanying drawings given by way of example and by no means in a limiting sense,v will allow understanding how the invention may be performed.

In said drawings: l

Figs. 1a, 1b, 1c, 1d show respectively an axial semi-section o f a compressor wheel arrangedin a tunnel-like casing, the angular vsetting of the blades, vthe triangular diagram of the velocities and the variation of the velocities along the tun- 3 clams. (C1. 23o-12o) 2 y nel-like casing as obtained according to our above-mentioned patent. i K

Figs. 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are similar views and diagrams illustrating the two first improvements according to our presentinvention. .e

Figs. 3a, 3b, 3c and 3d are views and diagrams with the incorporation in addition to said two rst improvements of the third improvement according t0 our invention, Figure 3a showingvin section the tunnel-like casing within'which-the compressor means is situated.

In our U. S. Patent No. 2,396,911 there is provided a slowing down of the velocity of air at its input into the propeller through its passagelinsi'de 4downstream from the'wheel and the rearwardly opening exhaust nozzle d having a decreasing cross-section and in which the air expandswhile its velocity increases. The arrangement of the movable blades e of the wheel and of thestationary righting blades c is illustrated in Fig. :1b.

Fig. 1c shows the velocity triangle corresponding to a diameter of the wheel for which the peripheral velocity of said wheel is equal'to u.Vo is the absolute velocity of the air at its inputinto the diil'usor a` (that is the speed of the aircraft), while V1 designates the absolute velocity of the air at the input in the channels between" the blades e of the wheel b, V2 is the absolute 'vejlocity of the air at the output of said blades, Va the absolute velocity of the air at the output of the righting blades c and V4 the absolutenvelocity of the air at the output from the tunnel. Lastly WI and W2 are the relative velocities of the air with reference to the `wheel at theinput and output respectively of the Wheel. The part played by the diifusor is to make the velocityl VI smaller than Vo so that WI may be lessthan the velocity of sound.

The velocity diagram of Fig. lc corresponding to the passage of air along the length of the tunnel-like vcasing is therefore illustrated in Fig. 1d at a scam different from. that of Fig. fm.. -ft is clearly apparent from said diagram Athat the velocity is reduced in the diffusor a between Vo and Vl and in the righting blades c between V2 and V3, which corresponds to losses of energy. r

When the lfirst of the features formingpthe object of the present invention is applied in practice, the velocity of air is not lowered substan- 3 tially before it reaches the wheel, and the parts are arranged as illustrated in Figs.` 2a and 2b. The inlet part of the tunnel-like casing arranged before the wheel hasno longer an increasing cross-section, but is ,ofy substantiallyuniforln cross-section sb as tof keep Vo substantiallyequal to V1 (Figures 2d and 3d) and this inlet part of the casing also includes stationary bladesgv the entrance edges of which are substantially parallel to the direction of the velocityVo'of the incoming air, while their trailing edge is inclined in the direction of rotation'of the wheel; so that said blades .g may incline tlie d`irfect`ibliof' VI by a certain angle d with reference to ,V

The application of the second feature decorar ing to our invention, to wit: the cancellation of the slowing down of the Velocity of the air beiV fp'iss'wlef5 in practice and without any re'dli'c'tioil lf tlivlcity Y 61:1 tHe i'ro air',l whatever ifgry lo velde; to @letame relative 'speed wr tfit corresponds' to a satisfactory' Mach number, Machnlilbers being' as well known the quotients of.' the .velocity considered by tlie local velocity ofsoud.v i

I I'Ltl'ie `triar'lgle considered, th velocities Vo and Vnare equalor substantially equal. ..ThBLdiagrams of velocities shown'in Figs. 2c and 2d.`show the 'result of the simultaneous apf- Plaiqni of the .,twc v above improvements. As @on ems. the .first improvement. it .sapparent Yo', and as concerns the second it will Dit ntdrthatw, VtzV4 increaseill the Sensidered, wherebythe losses of energy ing down of the gaseous flow are ifthere is applied furthermore tliethird v ccordingto ourinvention,y i.`e. the reor eiiyelowiiig d'o'winj of the relative velocity thelwheel'r, at least a substantial reducof, .this.sl9wing down, we obtain thev arrangetedin Figra. Said gure shows u1 i.mpdication ofthe yv iheel ai: the 'input cross-section of the air channels located .between thesiwceseiveblades has. a. .larger area .i 11. .ihj' Output ..,C1QS.S$tQr1 whereby the abso- ,rief @irai,theputrutoithe .wheel Y and ,consequently the velocitywrof il?? itlitw 1511i?. the. Wheel .at menaient .Qf .the remairreciu'al to therelative 'velocity Wifattleinplltin hwh el; k y Fig' S shows that decreasing cross-,sectioii .Qi said channels may be obtained by a conicalfi-ri 'ven tdt'l'l Iril'n of the wlfel,. Y, y Y yrlie triangle oljelo'eities is that illustrated in 'Fig `ItV will benoticd thatthe relative veos sectionalfareawhich'decreases looities WI and W2 are equal or substantially equal.

The diagrams of the air velocities along the tunnel-like casing is in this case that illustrated in Fis.... 3data .ecole Shahid ,iiierelttfrpm that ofgflgi so. Obviously. 1.1.1; indire eine disclosure; equality between the Velbcitles" V and VI and between the relative velocities Wl and W2 have been considered as for the mean diameter, tl1atj is ytllejnlost efficient, on the blades of the airscre o r compressor wheel, the cross-sections outline shapes thereof for the lid below said mean diameter 'best as possible by the man ln vaccordance with aerodynamic rs't feature of our invention described hereinabove may be applied at the input into the cfnpressor wheeL of a jet engine or into lades 'of a multi-cellular airscrew 1. In' a propelling device yfor hl'girspe'ed alicraft,y a tunnel-'like casing extending 'in th'eirl aridaft direction of ysaiii aircraft andoomlirisingf- 'an upstream air blletingportioli, an intermedia'te alic'r'npressing portieri; and a down:

irre;v p'o'rtiorleto enter t' the rotor velocity rivestira'ir' vel'oityreltively to tile-rotor islowr th' 2; Trie creases in the direction 'ojf the' diriiow in portion adapted to iii-"crease" 'tlife absolute velocit' of the air issul'ie from tliev roter-.

Vr; In a propelling devi'evfor i' 'lr siieed a tu'rllielelikeoasiflje' extending drtV direction of said aircraftV a upstream air collecting portion, air 'compressing lorti'n, aiid a d zle portion 'peliii'ig rearwardly, the saidM al lecting portion Having its upstream the atmosphere and being' 'of Siilo's'te forni crd'ss-sect'iii, reby tl incoming air is kept su tanti-e113? oorist to'said rim and adapted to movetransvers'ely n said alr compressing portion, sa'idbli s'; l

hoi/e a 'croe'l-setiirei" 'r' decree direction oiniiow of tlie air, tire 'de lokeirniradepted topf-odo j utlet from Ilseid rotor relata/ velocity of the tir et lattied" 5 6 to the relative velocity at the inlet in said rotor, and stationary blades in said air collecting por- REFERENCES CITED tion, said stationary blades having a curvature The followin references are of record he adapted to incline the direction of the absolute me of this pa'tgent: m t velocity of the incoming air in the direction of 5 rotation of said rotor in a degree adapted to the UNITED STATES PATENTS rotor velocity so that the absolute velocity of air Number Name Date where it enters the rotor, compounded with the 853,363 Holzwarth May 14, 1907 rotor Velocity gives an airvelocity relatively to 2,320,733 McIntyre June 1, 1943 the rotor which is lower than sound velocity. 10 2,397,998 Goddard Apr. 9, 1946 REN ANmoNNAz. 2,406,126 zweifel Aug. 2o, 1946 ROGER J. IMBERT. 

